U.S. Patent No. 6,595,858: Image-display game system
Issued July 22, 2003, to Nintendo Co. Ltd., Game Freak Inc., and Creatures Inc.
Filed: June 1, 2000 (claiming priority to August 26, 1999)
Overview:
U.S. Patent No. 6,595,858 (the ‘858 patent) relates to infection data for tracking whether or not captured characters in a game have been infected with a virus. The ‘858 patent details an image-display game system with information storage, having temporary storage including infection data regions where infection data is stored. The infection data is stored for every character captured during course of a game, indicating whether or not a character has been virus infected.
A processor can change a displayed image and write data indicative of being virus infected into at least one of the infection data regions corresponding to captured characters in the storage, when a predetermined condition is met. The predetermined condition can be a battle with another character, or a generated random number being a predetermined value. The virus-infected character can then be accelerated in its simulated growth.
The ‘858 patent further details a method of operating a game machine based on a stored program, for simulated collection of characters. The steps include: collecting a character, storing the property data of the character indicating whether it is infected or not, determining if at least one other character is infected, and controlling game progress based at least in party on the infection.
The ‘858 patent relates to the Pokérus, a virus Pokémon can catch in Pokémon games.
This virus is beneficial to players, lasting 1-4 days, doubling Effort Points earned for Effort Values (“EVs”) from battles. EVs contribute to an individual Pokémon’s stats, or numbers for attributes like special attack, defense, and HP (Hit Points). EVs are what make a trained Pokémon have better stats than an untrained one, so Pokérus doubling the amount of those values earned can be really helpful to a player. Though extremely rare, once caught, Pokérus is extremely contagious and spreads easily to adjacent Pokémon following battles. Pokérus is actually less common than finding or hatching a shiny (color altered) Pokémon. Interesting that something a player may never naturally encounter in the games, is actually patented!
Abstract:
An image-display game system with an idea of monsters’ virus infection comprises an information storage medium 10A in which a game program is stored, an actuator 22, a processor 23 for information processing responding to the actuator 22 and based on the program, an image display 27, and a temporal writable/readable storage 12, 25 including an infection data region 12 c where data indicating whether or not the character has been virus infected is stored. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, data is written into at least one infection data region corresponding to the captured characters stored in the temporal storage means.
Illustrative Claims:
- An image-display game system comprising an information storage medium and an image-display game device detachable from the information storage medium, said information storage medium including a program store for storing a game program said image-display game device including: an operation control member actuated by a player; a temporary store including infection data regions where property data is stored for every character captured during the course of a game, and wherein virus related data indicating whether the character has been virus infected is stored; a processor for carrying out information processing in response to said operation control member and based on said game program; and a image-display for displaying an image obtained through processing carried out by said processor, wherein, said processor is operable to change a displayed image in response to said operation control member; and to change the property data to be stored in said temporary store in response to the state of said operation control member; and to; changes in the characters’ images based on the property data including data indicating if the captured character has been virus infected; said processor being operable to write the data indicative of being virus infected into at least one of said infection data regions corresponding to the captured characters stored in said temporary store, when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
- A method of operating a game machine based upon a stored program which simulates the collection of characters of various types comprising the steps of: collecting a character; storing character property data indicative of whether a virus has infected the collected character; determining whether at least one other character is infected by said virus; and controlling the progress of the game based at least in part upon whether a character has been infected by said virus.